Boys' Night Out
by JantoJones
Summary: Ianto and Owen go out for a drink. Torchwood happens. (I really can't stop hurting Ianto. It must be an illness or something)


"You ready, Yan?"

Ianto stepped through the beaded curtain, straightening his tie. Even though he'd changed, he was still wearing a black suit with a white shirt and blue tie. It was pretty much the same as his work gear. Owen rolled his eyes. Did the man ever wear casual clothing?

"Come on then."

The two men left the office and walked around to the car park and Owen's car.

"Where are we going?" Ianto asked with trepidation in his voice.

"Don't worry mate," replied Owen. 'I'm taking you to a quiet little bar I know. It's not too wild and it'll help take you out of yourself for a while.'

Ianto wasn't sure about all this. Owen, however, had insisted for three reasons. The first was that Jack was making him, the second being that Ianto needed to get out more and the third was, they needed to work on their friendship. Establishing one would be a start. Not that Owen told Ianto any of this. So, here they were, going for a boys' night out.

They'd been travelling, in an uncomfortable silence, for 15 minutes when someone ran into the road in front of them. Owen slammed on his brakes and narrowly missed hitting the figure. The running man didn't stop; he just carried on into an adjacent alley. Seconds later another figure appeared from around the corner. The second man was seemingly chasing the first. Except, it wasn't a man. It wasn't even human. Humanoid yes, but not human. The non-human was about 7ft tall with pale blue skin and hair. It had no discernable nose and its eyes were cat-like, only black in colour. It was wearing human clothes as though making an attempt to blend in. The figure stopped in front of the car and stared in, it's quarry seemingly forgotten.

"What the fuck is that?" hissed Owen.

Ianto shrugged. "No idea, I've never seen anything like it."

Suddenly, the figure sprinted off after the first man. Without even thinking, Owen and Ianto were out of the car, both of them reaching for weapons they hadn't brought. They ran down the alley in pursuit of the entity. Ianto pulled his Bluetooth out of his pocket and secured it in his ear. He quickly called up Jack.

"Ianto, you sound like you're running. Where the hell has Owen taken you?"

"We haven't got there yet, Sir," replied the Welshman, breathlessly. "We've been sidetracked by a tall blue alien."

"Okay."

There was absolutely no surprise in Jack's voice. Aliens in Cardiff were part of the norm. "I'll get a fix on you and will join you as soon as I can."

"Bring us some guns."

Owen and Ianto followed the human and the alien into an almost empty warehouse. It briefly crossed Owen's mind that, every time they were led to a warehouse, it was always empty. They pushed through the doors in time to see the alien drop the lifeless body of the man it had been chasing. Ianto glanced at Owen.

"What do we do now? We're unarmed."

Owen didn't answer. Truth be told, he hadn't planned much beyond chasing it. Would they be able to keep it occupied until Jack got here?

"Make it dizzy?" He said eventually.

He indicated that Ianto should go left and he would go right. It didn't take long to figure out that, as plans went, it wasn't brilliant. Running around in circles was only going to exhaust them. Looking around the warehouse, Ianto spotted an office. He edged towards it while Owen kept the alien following him. A quick look inside was enough to tell Ianto that it was windowless. The door opened outwards, meaning that if they could get the alien inside they could barricade the door shut. He caught Owen's eye and tilted his head towards the office.

Owen understood the other man's plan and slowly made his way over to him. The alien stalked towards them. Without warning, it shot forward and grabbed hold of Ianto. It pushed him into the office and pinned him against the wall. Owen hurriedly looked around for something to use as a weapon. He spotted an old paint tin, which felt half full when he picked it up. It was then he heard a blood-curdling scream. He didn't need to be a genius to know it was Ianto. Owen rushed back to the office to find Ianto on the floor, still screaming. The alien was forcing its finger into Ianto's shoulder. Owen swung the paint tin and hit the alien hard across the back of the head. It span round, causing Ianto more agony as it removed its finger. Owen swung the tin again, straight into the alien's face. The thing went down hard and it bought Owen enough time to drag Ianto out of the office. He slammed the door shut and dragged an abandoned filing cabinet in front of it.

Ianto lay motionless on the floor of the warehouse. He was obviously in agony, it showed on his face and his breathing was ragged. What was puzzling Owen though, was why Ianto wasn't moving. A man in that much pain should be writhing all over. He knelt down beside his prone colleague, pulling his shirt open to get at the wound.

"Ianto mate, can you hear me?"

"Can't…move."

"But you're feeling pain?"

"Yes."

Fear registered in Ianto's eyes. The hole in his shoulder was bleeding profusely. Despite his extensive medical knowledge, there wasn't much Owen could do until Jack arrived. He emptied his jacket pockets and balled the garment up. The only thing he could do until help came was to put pressure on the wound and try to staunch the bleeding.

The alien began to hammer on the office door. The filing cabinet wobbled slightly but stayed in place. Owen pulled Ianto's Bluetooth from his ear and fixed it into his own.

"Jack, where are you. Ianto's hurt."

"I'm ten minutes from your position."

Owen could hear the SUV's tyres squeal as Jack hit the accelerator harder.

"What's the situation with the alien?"

"It's locked in an office." Owen told him before terminating the connection.

Ianto was weakening and his skin was pale and clammy. His breathing was becoming increasingly shallow also. Owen's jacket was rapidly soaking up blood, so he repositioned it and pressed down harder, causing Ianto to wince. His eyes were flickering shut and Owen realised he had to keep him talking. He patted Ianto on the cheek to wake him up.

"Stay with me, Yan, Jack's almost here."

"Lisa?' murmured the injured man.

The mention of her name sent shivers through Owen. Ianto's actions that day had almost got them all killed and whilst Owen had forgiven, he hadn't forgotten.

"No mate, it's Owen." He took Ianto's hand in his own to reassure him that he was there. "Tell me about Lisa."

"She's…dead."

"I know." Owen felt like he'd been punched. The despair in Ianto's voice was heart-breaking. He tried to keep his own voice cheerful.

"What was she like in London?"  
"Life. She was…so full of life." Tears filled Ianto's eyes and spilled onto the floor next to him.

"We went for a picnic." A smile touched his lips, albeit fleetingly. "It was the day before the invasion. She wore yellow; it was so sunny on her. She brought apples, cheese and grapes and I supplied the wine."

Ianto took a ragged breath. Owen checked his pulse and found it was becoming thready. Breathing was obviously becoming difficult but Owen needed to try and keep Ianto conscious until Jack got there. He didn't like the speed at which Ianto was failing. It was a lot quicker than it should have been.

"Carry on Ianto." Owen prompted gently.

"She lay the blanket while I fed the grapes to her. I…proposed that day. She said she would give me her answer at dinner the next night."

"Oh God." Owen's stomach knotted up. "Ianto, I'm so sorry."

"I never got an answer."

Ianto's eyes closed again as he lost consciousness.

At the same time, Jack burst into the warehouse. He had his Webley pistol in one hand and the medical kit from the SUV in the other. Jack ran across to Owen and Ianto. Passing the medical kit to Owen he knelt down beside them both. Not a word was exchanged as Owen swiftly opened the kit and pulled out a syringe full of an anti-biotic and analgesic mix. He shot it into Ianto's shoulder before pouring an anti-septic over the wound. He then cleaned up the area and taped it closed with surgical tape. Finally, Owen taped a padded dressing over it.

"That should hold him until I can get him back to the hub."

Jack turned his attention to the office door. He pulled a pistol from his pocket and gave it to Owen. Glancing at Ianto then back to the door, Jack decided it would be better to get the unconscious man out first.

"We'll put him in the SUV, it's just outside."

As soon as Ianto was safe, Jack and Owen re-entered the warehouse, with weapons raised. The captive alien was still beating against the door.

"Plan of action Boss?"

"As soon as we let it out, it'll attack. It's a kill or be killed situation."

The first problem was to get the filing cabinet out of the way. It was decided that the best course of action would be to try and kick it over then back off quickly. The two men positioned themselves and forcefully kicked the cabinet over. Seconds later, the blue alien shot out of the office. Jack had enough time to say;

"It's an Alkyn." Before it ran at them.  
Each man fired three times before the Alkyn finally went down.

"Is it dead?" Owen asked cautiously.

"I hope so. Come on, get the bodies in the vehicle, we need to get to the hub a.s.a.p."

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

A few hours later, Ianto lay peacefully asleep in the hub's tiny medical facility. Owen, who was working at a desk in the corner, had managed to successfully treat Ianto's wound. The man would be weak for a few days but his pain could easily be blocked with medication. Jack came into the room. He briefly touched Ianto's hand before turning to Owen.

"He's still asleep then."

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too long though."

"Keep me informed."

Moments after Jack's departure, Ianto began to wake. He panicked, not realising where he was immediately. Owen put a calming hand on Ianto's chest.

"It's okay Yan, you're safe."

"Owen? The alien?"

"It's dead mate." Owen pulled his chair to Ianto's bedside. "You're bloody lucky not to be in the same predicament."

Ianto listened as Owen told him what Jack had said about the Alkyn. It was a species that got high on adrenaline. Wounding its victim caused pain, which led to an adrenaline rush. By temporarily paralysing its prey; the Alkyn would ensure the victim didn't run. Victims died because too much adrenaline in the system can stop the heart.

Ianto let the information sink in. As quiet nights out went, it hadn't been the quietest. As if reading his mind, Owen said;

"It's not the best night I've ever had." He got up to fetch a carrier bag from his desk. "I still owe you a drink."

Reaching into the bag, Owen pulled out a bottle of beer and a bottle of water. He handed the water to Ianto.

"You're on medication," he said with a smile.

Ianto smiled back and accepted the bottle.

"Thanks." he murmured quietly.

Owen shrugged. "It's only water."

"I mean for asking about Lisa."

Owen merely nodded. Ianto suddenly smiled broadly.

'"Next time we go out though, can we make it one of the bars in the Bay?

"I'll drink to that," agreed Owen, and took a long swig of beer.


End file.
